Chennai, Jan 6 (Inditop.com) Tamil Nadu Governor Surjit Singh Barnala Wednesday urged the central government not to take any unilateral decisions that would affect the livelihood of ordinary people without consulting the states.
In his address to the state assembly, Barnala said: “While supporting the union government for undertaking various economic reforms necessary for the accelerated development of the nation, it will be in the true spirit of federalism only if the state governments are consulted by the union government before taking appropriate decisions on issues affecting the livelihood of the ordinary people who live in the lowest strata of the society like farmers, labourers and fishermen, decisions having nationwide implications and new draft legislations.”
In the recent past, the central government went back on two of its decisions -introduction of Marine Fisheries (Regulation and Management) Bill in parliament and the modification of sugarcane procurement pricing mechanism.
The two measures drew strong protests from fishing and the sugarcane farming communities.
The state’s ruling DMK was caught on the back foot with major opposition party AIADMK going hammer and tongs on these two issues. The DMK is part of the government at the centre.
“This government strongly urges that the union government should not enact any law which is against the interests of fishermen,” Barnala said.
He said: “This government is of the firm view that the proposed Goods and Services Tax, meant to replace the existing system of indirect taxes levied by the union and the states, should be introduced based on consensus among the states without affecting the existing powers and revenues of the states.”
